Offender Record · OFF-2026-001
CARNEY 2024 (booking)
Nicholas Ray Carney
Also known as Nichulas Carney, Nicholas Carney
Sex
Male
Race
American Indian / White
Height
6'0"
Weight
205 lbs
Born
1960
Custody
Incarcerated
States
TX, OK, GA, CA, MN
Distinguishing featuresVictims consistently described a mustache, a 'small beer belly' and a heavy cigarette smoker; of white and Native American descent but described as appearing white or Hispanic (Plano Police bulletin 25-010PR).
Custody
Incarcerated at TDCJ · #02602904
Custody record at the facility · checked present
Sentenced to life in prison, Collin County, Texas (announced January 21, 2026).
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Nicholas Ray Carney, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, was arrested on December 19, 2024 by Plano Police, working with the Texas Rangers and Dallas Police, for the August 15, 1991 abduction and sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl in Plano, Texas. A Collin County jury convicted him of aggravated sexual assault of a child; the verdict and a life sentence were announced by the Collin County District Attorney on January 21, 2026. Dallas Police separately arrested him for the March 25, 1999 abduction and sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl in Dallas; that case is pending. In 1980 he was convicted in Tulsa, Oklahoma of exposing himself to a 6-year-old and attempting to lure the child into his vehicle. Police have said he lived and worked across Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Georgia and California and have asked the public for information about his whereabouts, vehicles and employment over the decades.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date 1980, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Indecent exposure to a child and attempted luring (1980, Tulsa)
Tulsa Police Department (OK)
Exposed himself to a 6-year-old girl while driving an ice cream truck and attempted to lure the child into the vehicle.
SourcesFormer ice cream truck driver Nicholas Carney receives life for 1991 North Texas child assault (archived); Plano Police Crime Bulletin 25-010PR: Serial Kidnapping/Sex Assault Suspect (public release)
Offense date Aug 15, 1991, Plano, Texas
Aggravated sexual assault of a child (1991 Plano abduction)
Plano Police Department (TX) · Collin County District Court (Judge Richard Davis) · Arrested Dec 19, 2024 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life in prison and a $34 fine
An 8-year-old girl walking with a friend toward a neighborhood pool near Lake Hill Lane was pulled into a dark vehicle, sexually assaulted and released alive about five hours later in Garland, Texas. Police also described the arrest as being for kidnapping; the published verdict names aggravated sexual assault of a child.
SourcesFormer ice cream truck driver Nicholas Carney receives life for 1991 North Texas child assault (archived); Plano Police Crime Bulletin 25-010PR: Serial Kidnapping/Sex Assault Suspect (public release); Man arrested in Plano, Dallas child kidnapping, rape cases; police investigate whether there are more victims
Offense date Mar 25, 1999, Dallas, Texas
Sexual assault of a child (1999 Dallas abduction)
Dallas Police Department (TX) · Arrested Dec 19, 2024
Two 9-year-old girls were walking home from school on Sunview Drive when a man in a pickup truck approached and abducted one of them; she was sexually assaulted and released alive about 40 miles away in Rice, Texas. Linked to the Plano case by DNA in 2004.
SourcesPlano Police Crime Bulletin 25-010PR: Serial Kidnapping/Sex Assault Suspect (public release); Ardmore man arrested in connection to two sexual assault cold cases three decades later (archived); Man arrested in Plano, Dallas child kidnapping, rape cases; police investigate whether there are more victims
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CA
California
approx. 1975 – 1989 · Cities unknown; police are investigating movements in California in the late 1970s and 1980s
GA
Jesup, Georgia
dates unknown
Norcross, Georgia
dates unknown
Savannah, Georgia
dates unknown
MN
Saint Paul, Minnesota
approx. 1989 – 1991
Burnsville, Minnesota
approx. 1989 – 1991
Rosemount, Minnesota
approx. 1989 – 1991
Apple Valley, Minnesota
approx. 1989 – 1991
Eagan, Minnesota
approx. 1989 – 1991
Minneapolis, Minnesota
approx. 1989 – 1991
OK
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
dates unknown
Midwest City, Oklahoma
dates unknown
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
dates unknown
Ardmore, Oklahoma
approx. until Dec 2024 · Residing in Ardmore at the time of arrest
Claremore, Oklahoma
dates unknown
Catoosa, Oklahoma
dates unknown
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
dates unknown
Tulsa, Oklahoma
approx. 1980 – 1980 · Ice cream truck operator, door-to-door vacuum salesman, satellite installer
TX
Rosser, Texas
dates unknown
Pittsburg, Texas
dates unknown
Naples, Texas
dates unknown
Carl's Corner, Texas
dates unknown
Kaufman, Texas
dates unknown
Garland, Texas
dates unknown
Grand Prairie, Texas
dates unknown
Richardson, Texas
dates unknown
Alvarado, Texas
dates unknown
Denton, Texas
dates unknown
Odessa, Texas
dates unknown
Granbury, Texas
dates unknown
Hillsboro, Texas
dates unknown
Scurry, Texas
dates unknown
Henrietta, Texas
dates unknown
Lancaster, Texas
dates unknown
Mesquite, Texas
dates unknown
Hughes Springs, Texas
dates unknown
Balch Springs, Texas
dates unknown
Lewisville, Texas
dates unknown
Wichita Falls, Texas
dates unknown
Irving, Texas
dates unknown
Dallas, Texas
approx. 1991 – 1999 · Investigators determined he lived in the Dallas area at the time of both offenses
Collin, Texas
Dec 19, 2024 – present · Collin County Jail, then Texas Department of Criminal Justice after sentencing
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
2001 dark burgundy/maroon and silver Dodge Ram 1500
approx. 2006 – 2008
Pictured in the bulletin
2001 burgundy and silver Dodge Ram 1500 (2006–2008)
1998 green Ford Ranger
approx. 2002 – 2007
Pictured in the bulletin
1998 green Ford Ranger (2002–2007)
1996 black Dodge Ram 1500
approx. 2000 – 2005
Pictured in the bulletin
1996 black Dodge Ram 1500 (2000–2005)
1994 red Chevrolet 1500
approx. 1994 – 1999
Silver bed cover; pictured in the bulletin; possibly used in the 1999 Dallas offense
1994 red Chevrolet 1500, silver bed cover (1994–1999)
1990 brown Ford Aerostar
dates unknown
Pictured in the bulletin; 1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
1990 brown Ford Aerostar
1986 multicolored Chevrolet Silverado
dates unknown
Pictured in the bulletin; 1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
1986 multicolored Chevrolet Silverado
redVan with Minnesota registration
dates unknown · MN registration
Pictured in the bulletin; 1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
Red van, Minnesota registration
blue Lincoln Town Car
approx. 2024 – present
2007 white Ford Ranger
approx. 2010 – 2011
2000 white Chevrolet Impala
approx. 2009 – 2010
2004 black Nissan Maxima
approx. 2008 – 2011
1996 red Ford F-150
approx. 2007 – 2010
1999 white Chevrolet 3500
approx. 2004 – 2005
1986 Toyota pickup
approx. 2000 – 2001
1991 blue Chevrolet S10 pickup
approx. 2000 – 2002
1985 gray Chevrolet Silverado
dates unknown
1984–86 model; 1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
1985 yellow Cadillac Fleetwood
dates unknown
1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
Pontiac GTE
dates unknown
1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
1984 white Chevrolet Camaro
dates unknown
1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
2011 white Ford F-150
approx. until present
Multiple motorcycles and RVs
dates unknown
1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
1986 red Chevrolet Camaro
dates unknown
1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
1968 green/blue Chevrolet El Camino
dates unknown
1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown
1983 dark blue Oldsmobile Cutlass
dates unknown
Blue vinyl top; possibly used in the 1991 Plano offense (1970s–1990s, exact dates unknown)
Photographs by Year
CARNEY possibly 1970s
CARNEY 1984
CARNEY 1988
1991 suspect sketch (Plano)
CARNEY mid-1990s
CARNEY 1996
1999 suspect composite (Dallas)
CARNEY late 1990s – early 2000s
CARNEY 2003
CARNEY 2024 (booking)
Timeline
1980
Convicted in Tulsa, Oklahoma of exposing himself to a 6-year-old child and attempting to lure the child into his ice cream truck.
Aug 15, 1991
An 8-year-old girl is abducted from an alley near Lake Hill Lane in Plano, Texas, sexually assaulted, and released alive about five hours later in Garland. Plano Police incident 91-41783.
Mar 25, 1999
A 9-year-old girl is abducted by a man in a pickup truck on Sunview Drive in Dallas, sexually assaulted, and released alive about 40 miles away in Rice, Texas.
2004
DNA from the 1991 Plano case is entered into CODIS and matches the 1999 Dallas case, linking the two offenses to one unknown man.
2023
Plano Police reopen the case with the Dallas Police Department and the Texas Rangers; genetic genealogy work begins.
Dec 19, 2024
Arrested at his home in Ardmore, Oklahoma by Plano and Dallas detectives with the Texas Rangers; held in the Collin County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Jan 17, 2025
Plano Police release crime bulletin 25-010PR asking the public for information about Carney's vehicles, residences and employment over the decades.
Jan 21, 2026
Collin County District Attorney announces a jury convicted Carney of aggravated sexual assault of a child for the 1991 Plano offense and sentenced him to life in prison.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Dallas Express (via Yahoo News) ·
Former ice cream truck driver Nicholas Carney receives life for 1991 North Texas child assault“A Collin County jury found him guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sentenced him to life in prison. In 1980 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was convicted of exposing himself to a six-year-old child and trying to lure that child into his vehicle.”
News report · NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth ·
Man arrested in Plano, Dallas child kidnapping, rape cases; police investigate whether there are more victims“In 1980, he reportedly worked odd jobs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, including as a door-to-door vacuum salesman, a satellite installer, and an ice cream truck operator. He has a transient history with ties to California, Minnesota, Georgia, Oklahoma, and several Texas counties.”
Law enforcement release · Plano Police Department ·
Plano Police Crime Bulletin 25-010PR: Serial Kidnapping/Sex Assault Suspect (public release)“In partnership with the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Police Department, the Plano Police Department identified and arrested Nicholas Ray CARNEY, a 64-year-old man residing in Ardmore, Oklahoma on December 19, 2024 for the 1991 abduction and sexual assault of an 8-year-old child.”
News report · KXII ·
Ardmore man arrested in connection to two sexual assault cold cases three decades later“DNA tied the 1991 Plano case to a 1999 Dallas abduction.”
News report · NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth ·
Plano police make arrest in 30-year-old cold case“Carney was arrested at his home in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on December 19, 2024.”
Discussion
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